Washing-machine



W. F. BLAKE.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLlCATION FILED NOV. 3, 1919.

1,386,682. nted A g 9, 1921.

By M

PATENT OFFHIE.

WILLIAM F. BLAKE, F TOLEDO, OHIO.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

Application filed November 3, 1919. Serial No. 335,267.

I '0 all w 700m it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM F. BLAKE, acitizen of the United States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucasand State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful lVashing-Machine, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in washing machines in which anopen cylindrical agitator operates in connection with a clothes spreaderin a round tub; and the objects of my invention are, first to providethe most eflicient method of agitating clothes, water, and soap incombination;

second, to provide a central clothes spreader to aid in keeping thegarments moving; and third, to provide a collector for the dirt andsediment in the water.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a constructionutilizing a drum as an agitator and centrally apertured at the ends topermit clothing and water to pass upward and downward through theapertures on reciprocation of the agitator or drum. 1

I attain these objects by'the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawlng, in which 1 Figure 1 is vertical section of the washing machine;Fig. 2, a plan View of the open cylindrical agitator; and Fig.- 3, aplan v1ew of the clothes spreader and dirt collector.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The round tub 1 of the washing machine has a cover 2. 3 is the circularwall of the open cylindrical agitator which is open at the top andbottom and which has the flange 15 on the bottom, the curved flange 5near the top, and the rubbing ribs 6 on the inside of the wall 3. V 4 isthe cross bar connecting the cylindrical agitator 3 to the shaft 7 andheld from coming off by the thumb screw 8. On shaft 7 just below crossbar 4 is the collar 9 which is rigidly fastened to the shaft 7 by therivet 11, and which has on its upper surface two projecting lugs 10which enter openings in cross bar 4 and so keep cross bar 4 in itsproper position on shaft 7.

The sleeve 12 has the flange 28 at its base and extends through thebottom of the tub 1 being fastened in position by the nut 17. Betweenthe flange 28 and the tub bottom is the rubber gasket 16 to prevent thewater from leaking out. 13 is the dome shaped clothes spreader and dirtcollector which is slipped over the sleeve 12 and fits closely aroundsame at the top. The rubbing ribs 27 are in the upper part and openings14 in the base catch the dirt and sediment in the water as it passesover them and this dirt is kept under the clothes spreader and dirtcollector 13.

30 shows the angle iron legs and 26 the brace under the tub, this brace26 has an opening 18 in the center in which nut 17 can be turned totighten sleeve 12 and gasket 16. 19 is the lever fastened to one leg ofthe washing machine by pivot 24 and to shaft 7 by the pivot 23. 20 isthe upper arm of the lever fastened to the arm 19 at 22 and having thehandle 21 at its upper end. The lug 25 is fastened to the leg of thewashing machine and has the spring 29 attached to it, the other end ofthe spring being attached to lever 19.

In the practical operation of my washing machine water and soap are putin the tub, and garments are placed inside of the open cylindricalagitator 3. Then the operating lever 19-2O is pushed up and down movingthe shaft 7 up and down in sleeve 12 and so causing the agitator 3 tomove up and down. As the agitator 3 is;pushed down it displaces thewater and forces it upward, through, and around the garments, and alsoforces the water and clothing over ribs 6 and on up to flange 5 whichturns them back toward the center of the bottom of tub. Upon movement ofthe agitator or drum 3 upward, clothing and water previously moved intothe drum by the downward movement thereof is drawn downward by thesuction produced by upward movement of the agitator in conjunction withthe action of gravity. comparatively rapid reciprocation of the agitatoror drum therefore first forces the clothing and water upward by an equalpressure upon all sides and then draws the same forcibly downward and,as this action is substantially uniform in both directions of movement,the clothing does not become tangled or knotted as in some other typesof agitators especially when used with a spreader, substantially asshown at 13 in Fig. 1, extending upward into the drum. As the garmentsare being agitated in the water, they continually come in contact withthe clothes spreader 13, the dome shaped sides through and is retainedunder the clothes spreader and dirt collector 13. After the washing isfinished this dirt collector 13 is easily taken out and the machinecleaned.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent is:

l. Ina washing machine, a substantially cylindrical tub, a cylindricaldrum vertically movable therein and having an inwardly extending flangeat both the top and bottom provding apertures in the drum ends of adiameter less than that of the drum, the aperture at the bottom of thedrum being of suflicient area to permit water and clothing to passtherethrough into and out of the drum.

2. In a washing machine, a tub, a drum movable vertically therein, saiddrum conforming substantially to the shape of the tub and having aseries of vertically spaced inwardly extending flanges providing acentral unobstructed area permitting movement of the clothing and waterinto and out of the drum, and a spreader member positioned centrally ofthe tub extending upwardly into the said central area of the drumsubstantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a washing machine, atub or receptacle, an agitator of cylindricalform and having an upper and a lower inwardly extending flange, thelower flange providing a central aperture through which the water andclothing may pass into and out of the agitator, the upper flangeextending inwardly and thence downwardly providing a central apertureapproximately equal to that of the lower flange, and means forreciprocating the agitator.

a. In a washing machine, a tub, avertically movable cylindrical agitatorap'ertured at the bottom to permit water and clothing to pass into andout of the agitator, and an inwardly and downwardly extending flange atthe uper end of the agitator providing a deflector for the water andclothing passing into the agitator.

5 In a washing machine, a substantially cylindrical tub, a cylindricaldrum of a diameter slightly less than that of the tub permitting itsready movement therein, the drum having an inwardly extending flange atthe bottom providing a central aperture, a vertical reciprocable shaftextending up- 'ard through the bottom of the tub, a bar extending acrossthe top of the drum attached to the upper end of the shaft and meansconnected with the lower end of the shaft for reciprocating the same.

6. In a washingmachinqa tub, a hollow sheet metal drum reciprocabletherein, said drum having a central opening at the lower end and closelyfitting the tub whereby downward movement causes the'major portion ofthe clothing and water to be forced upward through the opening andreverse movement drawing the water and clothing downward therethrough,and a substantially cylindrical central spreader member stationarilypositioned at the bottom of the tub extending upward into the drum.

7. In a washing machine, a tub, and a cylindrical drum or agitatorhaving an inwardly extending flange at its base providing a central.aperture, and'a curved flange extending inward and downward near its topto engage and outwardly deflect water and clothing moving upward throughthe interior of the drum on downward movement thereof.

8. In washing machine, a tub for water and clothing, a drum verticallyreciprocable therein having an inwardly extending flange at the bottomproviding a central aperture less in diameter than the diameter of thedrum, a rod extending upward through the bottom of the tub and centrallythrough the said central aperture of the drum, means for connecting therod with the upper end of the drum, and a housing for the shaftextending upward from the bottom of the tub into the drum.

' VILLIAM F. BLAKE.

itnessesi ADA MonNrNcsTAn," ALFRED B. Frsrrnn. j I,

